


The Pull

by UmiAzuma



Series: Amor y Familia [1]
Category: Bright (2017)
Genre: Bright headcanons, Feels, Fluff, Homophobic Language, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kandomere feels, Leilah is batshit crazy, M/M, One Night Stands, Soul Bond, elves being extra, latino Kandomere, latino elves, or something like that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 09:43:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13701906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmiAzuma/pseuds/UmiAzuma
Summary: Nick is celebrating he graduated the police academy, alone, when a stranger comes to him at the bar.





	The Pull

**Author's Note:**

> I made up a name for Kandomere because I am convinced his is a last name and not an actual first name. Also, this fic plays with the idea that during the events of the movie, Nick and Kandomere were already together, the visit to interrogate someone was an excuse to work stalk Nick and Nick had to pretend he didn't know the elf.
> 
> This fic was posted on tumblr but I added a few things here, I always like to edit my stuff :B
> 
> Also WARNING FOR HOMOPHOBIC LANGUAGE AT SOME POINT, it’s short, but it’s there.

“You look like you are mourning” Comes a soft voice that makes Nick look up from his drink. A tall elf was looking at him with genuinely curious white eyes. His silver-blue hair tied in a low ponytail and wearing what seemed to be an expensive blue dress shirt and gray slacks, he leaned on the bar and tilted his head a little.

“I’m celebrating” Nick raised his glass; the elf eyed it, not buying his excuse. “I just graduated from the police academy, and my graduation party did invite me somewhere but I had to do other things, then I was on the other side of town and didn’t feel like going, they were never really nice to me anyway.”

He  _had_  wanted to go celebrate with the others, but he had to go to the cemetery and tell his father he had graduated, then he called his mother and his younger brother in San Diego, and he had heard Jameson whisper “We’ll go party out of town instead”, so they were planning on ditching him. The elf nodded and took the nearby stool, sitting next to him, he asked the bartender (a big ogre who didn’t look like he had many friends) for a drink too and looked at Nick again.

“No one should celebrate something like that on their own.” He raises his glass, still looking at him. “Congrats, grad.”

They talk for a long time; the bartender sends little glances at them from time to time, as if he’s expecting something to happen. The elf’s name is Aedgar Kandomere, he says, but he’d rather be called Kandomere, he works for the Magic Task Force and has been there for the past twenty three years, which takes Nick by surprise, he didn’t look like someone who’s worked for twenty three years, but he also knows elves live very long lives.

“I’ve never seen an orc with short tusks.” He comments casually, leaning against the bar with his elbow and resting his head in his hand, he’s sitting very close to Nick, so close it’s making the bartender look at them funny and his scent is all Nick can smell. “¿Are you a special kind?”

“I’m not pure, my grandfather was half orc and it kind of… stays. It’s the reason why I also don’t have a clan; I’m not blooded because I’m not pure orc.”

Kandomere makes a face. It’s like this concept is both foreign and outrageous to him.

“Well…” He finishes off his drink, motioning for the bartender to give him another; his cheeks are a little rosy now, though Nick doesn’t know if it’s because of him being drunk or because of their proximity. “My family owns a bunch of boutiques and my mother is Violeta Kandomere, the editor in chief of Elfa magazine. Yet her darling boy is working for the FBI. I’m the black sheep of the family, you could say, though they don't really mind it. And no one at work really likes me because they think I’m a snob, they don’t say it, but they think I am.”

“I don’t even want to know what people will say about me. I’m the first orc that’s ever graduated the academy.”

“It’ll be hard, but…” Kandomere touched his arm lightly, at some point, he’d untied his hair for some reason and now it lay flat, framing his face. “I’m sure you can do it if it’s what you’ve always wanted to do.”

“It’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do.”

“Then you’ll be okay.” He removed his hand from Nick’s arm, taking his shot and downing it in one gulp. “I think we’ll be kicked out soon, so maybe we should continue celebrating somewhere else.”

Kandomere got off from his stool and stretched a little, and Nick was slightly baffled at this, the elf had the hair tie in his wrist and tied his hair in a messy ponytail again, he took out his wallet and left a few bills on the bar, before Nick could protest. He said it was his graduation gift for him.

“When you start catching criminals, you can buy  _me_  a drink.” He said with a shrug, and took Nick’s hand, leading him out of the bar and to the cold streets of the Los Angeles winter.

“So…” Nick looked a little awkward when the elf turned around to look at him, curious. “I know you never implied anything or whatever, but my apartment is nearby and if you want, not that I’m assuming anything or something like that but we could… you know…”

Kandomere stared at him for a few moments, and then smiled, a strand of his blue hair leaving the hair tie and falling to his face, he looked to the street and laughed a little, Nick could see his small, pointed teeth.

“I didn’t want to ask because you didn’t seem comfortable with my advances, but if you insist.” Kandomere whistled at a taxi that passed by, and they ran to catch it in the next corner.

They got in and Nick gave him the address, the driver (another orc) looked at them like he had never seen another orc or an elf before in his life, but drove, looking at them through the rearview mirror from time to time. Kandomere was really something, leaning into Nick, whispering sweet nothings in his ear, while he had a hand on Nick’s thigh, so very close to his crotch. The driver muttered something along the lines of “fucking faggots” and Kandomere whipped his head so fast Nick thought he might have broken his own neck, glaring daggers with almost clear eyes at the driver.

“What the  _fuck_  did you just say?” He raised his voice, and the driver was startled for a minute, but said nothing and pretended he had not mentioned a thing, which annoyed the elf. “Stop the car, we’ll walk.”

The taxi stopped, and Kandomere all but pushed Nick out of the car, shutting the door and turning to the driver.

“I could have you fired from the taxi syndicate, but I’m sure you have a lot of mouths to feed.” He threw a twenty at him. “Never speak that way about customers ever again, you dried up seaweed.”

Kandomere stood there, glaring daggers at the taxi until it was out of sight, and Nick looked worried.

“I’m going to file a complaint, I memorized the plate number.” He said, then took Nick’s hand and started walking. “You said it was nearby, right? So let’s walk there.”

They did, it was midnight and not a lot of people were on the streets, but those who were looked at them like they had never seen anything like them before, maybe it was because Kandomere refused to let go of his hand, apparently elves were bold like that, they didn’t care who saw them or what they thought of them, he walked along the sidewalk like he owned it and like no one was actually there, like the supermodels in the big screens at the Nemyra Fashion Mall he passed on the way to the academy every morning.

Nick’s apartment was really not that far away from the bar, the walk from the place they were at right now to the building where Nick lived was probably of thirty minutes, now that they had been left halfway there, walking wouldn't be a problem. But the closer they came to the building, the more Nick was filled with a sense of dread. This whole situation was strange from the beginning, why would an elf want to sit in a bar and share drinks and life experiences with an orc of all people? And why was he holding his hand, agreeing to come to his apartment with him, treating the situation like it was a regular occurrence for an elf to be picked up at a bar by an orc? The realization that the elf had agreed to go to his apartment for the sole purpose of having sex made him stop walking, and as strong as elves are, Kandomere was taken by surprise by this.

“What’s wrong?” He walked back to him. “You look like you’re thinking too much about this. We don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”

“Why do  _you_  want to do it?” Nick lifted his gaze from the pavement, looking like a kicked puppy. “It’s not like you or any other elf to want to sleep with someone like me.”

“Someone how, nice? Maybe you’re right, I don’t deserve that.” Kandomere shrugs. “Maybe it’s selfish of me to want to go with you, but you looked lonely and I want to make that go away, at least for a night.”

The elf didn’t let go of his hand, not even standing there, in the middle of the sidewalk at midnight, instead he placed a gentle hand on Nick’s chest, standing so close his scent almost blinded Nick, and placed a soft kiss in the corner of Nick’s lips, where his tusks should be, and it all seems to fall into place. When he pulls back, he laughs lightly, a bit of his pointed teeth is visible, and he tugs on Nick’s arm and motions for him to keep walking.

They take less than thirty minutes to get to the apartment, and when they do, Kandomere looks at the small balcony, marveled at the array of flowers and plants that bloomed beautifully there, he almost pressed his face to the glass door that led to the balcony, fascinated. Nick stood next to him, looking sheepish.

“You grew all of this yourself?” He asked, turning to look at him, really look at him.

“I do what I can.” Nick said, shrugging.

“It’s beautiful.” Kandomere came closer to him, marveled at the kind of person he had chosen. “So… Are you going to show me the bedroom or am I going to have to find it myself?”

Kandomere laid his palms on Nick’s chest, marveling at how different his body was to his own, and pressed a kiss to his lips this time, and Nick was gone, he lifted the elf from the floor, helping him wrap his slender legs around Nick’s waist, as they made their way blindly to the bedroom. Nick didn't even bother to turn the lights on, orcs had great vision at night, and oh, what a vision this was! An elf, sitting on the edge of his bed, unbuttoning his shirt very slowly and exposing himself to Nick, looking at him like he genuinely wanted him.

It made him feel almost drunk with power, to have someone so willing to give themselves to him, he took the elf by the waist and lifted him a little, pushing the both of them further to the bed, Kandomere's hair a teal pool on Nick's pillow. They kissed like they wanted to devour each other, almost ripping each other's clothes off. The elf wrapped his legs around Nick's waist again, wanting nothing more than to receive him.

When they were done, Kandomere turned to look at him, still trying to catch his breath. He traced the blue patches on Nick’s arm, his chest, with his fingers, Nick turned to look at him, white eyes meeting golden. Kandomere’s hair was untied again, unruly and wild, and Nick thought he was really beautiful, but he looked worried.

“What is it?”

“I wasn’t honest with you.”

“What do you mean?” Nick shifted, facing him, placing a warm hand on his hip.

“I approached you tonight for a reason. When I first saw you, I felt something elves call The Pull.” Nick frowned and was about to say something but Kandomere stopped him. “Here, no, let me speak. The Pull is a feeling we experience when we meet a good match, someone worthy of our love, The Pull makes us want to be close to someone, like a moth being attracted to flames. As soon as I saw you, I felt it.”

Nick looked at him intently, looking for any indication this was a joke or a lie or something Kandomere had made up for a reason, but there was none of it, none that he could see, anyway.

“And… And if the feeling isn’t mutual?” He asked, and could distinctly see a flash of something akin to disappointment in the elf’s clear eyes, but he shrugged.

“Then The Pull changes, or vanishes, it happens sometimes, if you do not feel anything at all for me, if I’m just a one night thing to you, I understand.”

Nick looked at him for a long moment, he never thought he’d meet someone quite like him in his whole life, he never thought an elf would show interest in him, let alone feel something as strong as what Kandomere had just told him he felt, instead of answering, he wrapped the elf in his arms, holding him gently against his chest and just held him like that the rest of the night, it was not necessary to say anything. Whatever this was, he didn't want it to end, not tonight.

The I love yous came later.

+++

Kandomere was there the first day Nick came home from work, looking like he had been carrying the world on his shoulders, and told him the things they said of him, the mean, hurtful words, and held him quietly, but his rage rained over whoever he knew had hurt his One. He hadn’t met Nick’s partner just yet, but when he did, he’d make  _sure_  this person knew exactly what would happen to him if Nick ever got hurt.

Nick knew about Leilah very vaguely, he knew Kandomere had been hunting her down, and knew she was some sort of terrorist, and what little he knew about magic and how to contain it was because of Kandomere. They met Nick’s mother through videocall, and met Lady Violeta Kandomere in a carefully organized dinner she arranged for them, she had wanted to protest, of course she did, but as soon as The Pull was mentioned, she kept her mouth shut. She knew there was no fighting it, and Nick felt there was something she knew and wasn’t telling him, when she looked at him with sadness in those otherwise cold, clear eyes.

Then the wand happened, and Nick died for all of five minutes (he’d find out much later what truly happened, from Mike, who had been told by his mother, who had been told by Dorghu). He woke at a special hospital, and word vomited everything as Kandomere tried to keep a cool demeanor and not jump into his arms and  _smack him_  for getting himself in such danger over a  _stupid fucking wand_.

“Officer Jakoby, you are free to go.” He said, sounding strictly professional. “Unfortunately your friend has to remain here for a few more days, he is still not yet healed and we need to make sure he is not a danger to himself or others.”

“Great…” Ward muttered, as an agent escorted Nick to another room where he could get changed. “Go to my house, will you? Tell Sherri I’m okay.”

“Your wife knows where you are, she will be allowed to visit you soon.” Kandomere said, and left, closely followed by his own partner, when they were outside, he turned to Montehugh and sighed. “I’d like to speak to the officer on my own, if you don’t mind.”

“Whatever you say, boss. But he looks like a scared dog, go easy on him.” Montehugh chuckled at his own joke and left, and Kandomere went into the room where Nick was changing into clean clothes provided by the hospital.

“Nick…” He whispered, the orc was trying to put on a shirt and turned around, and Kandomere saw it, the star shaped wound in the center of his chest. His mask of cold professionalism fell and he ran to him, trying his hardest not to sob against his skin.

“I’m fine… I promised I’d come back to you, I do it every day, don’t I?”

“You almost didn’t come back, _idiota_!” Kandomere pushed him, he wanted to be angry, he wanted to scream, to punch him, but he also wanted to hold him, to make sure he was really there and not a terrible apparition brought to torment him. “Why did you get involved? Why do you always have to get involved?! I was worried sick about you, you never answered your phone!”

“I lost it somewhere…”

“You lost it.” Kandomere nodded, looking wild and angry, falling to his knees in tears. “This is no game, Nick, you could have died! What would I have done if you died?!”

Nick sat in front of him and held him tight, rocking him back and forth, comforting and warm and  _alive_. Kandomere didn’t know who to thank, almost blinded by his own tears, he traced the star-like pattern of a bullet in Nick’s chest with a finger.

Leilah’s wand, that had taken his father away from him twenty years ago, had brought his love back to life for him now too. He really didn’t know who to thank.

“You pushed me to go inside a burning building…”

“Let’s go home, love…” Nick said in his ear, making it twitch slightly, something his ears had started doing by their own a while ago, a sign that Nick’s mannerisms were becoming his.

They went home that night. A while ago, they had gotten a flat just outside the elf district, not too far from the station either. They moved Nick’s small garden and it became bigger, plants and pots taking over their bookcase, the kitchen they sometimes shared, the two balconies. The flat looked like a little forest, their very own nest.

Nick had been exhausted, of course, and took a nap as soon as they got home. When he woke up, Kandomere was right beside him, just looking at him, tracing the patterns of his skin with his fingers, as he always did, as if he had never seen them before or wanted to commit them to memory.

“Hey…” Nick murmured, still sleepy.

“Hello, _amor_.” Kandomere smiled and moved to kiss him, and Nick held his waist gently. “I wasn’t honest with you.”

“About what?” Nick frowned, finally waking up fully.

“About The Pull, I lied to you.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you asked me the night we met, what would happen if the feeling was not mutual, I told you The Pull could change. I lied, it doesn’t change, it never changes, it never shifts, it’s always the same and if you had rejected me that first night, I would have probably died. Same if you had died this time.”

“But… You wouldn’t die right now if I did! You said your father died twenty years ago and your mother is still out there!”

“And her marriage had been arranged. She never felt The Pull with him. She learned to love him, yes, in her own way, but she never felt that way for him, she has never experienced it herself. But it’s very rare for an elf to survive after their One has left them. Had you died that night, I would have followed shortly after.”

“But I did die…” Nick whispers.

“I know you did, I felt it.” Kandomere traced the wound again with his fingers. “It felt… Like all color had been drained from the world, like everything was suddenly black and white. For all of five minutes I experienced the most terrible despair. I wanted to pull at my hair and rip it from my scalp and then… And then I knew you came back, felt it, and everything was alright again. Had you remained dead, I would have died along with you.”

Nick looked at him, gently tucking a strand of blue hair behind his ear. He’d kept this from him since the moment they met, maybe because he was so sure he’d always come back to him, but he had lost all will to live for five minutes, now he knew he could lose Nick and didn’t like it. Nick would have to be much more careful, much more cautious. He touched his forehead to Kandomere’s, closing his eyes, a gesture the elf had learned was akin to a kiss for his kind.

“Aedgar…”

“Don’t call me that, you know I hate it.”

“I’m going to die one day.”

“I know that, but I hope it’s not today, or tomorrow, I hope we have more than this one year together, I hope you grow old by my side and when you die, it’s peaceful and I can be there for you. I want to be ready.”

“But this changes things”

“It doesn’t change anything, Nick”

“It changes the fact that now I know if I die, you die with me, there’s no chance for you to move on and find someone better.”

“I don’t want someone better, my soul chose you, I don’t need anyone else, shut up and hold me, dammit!”

Nick did as he was told. He held on to his elf for dear life, worried that he’d vanish at any moment. While Kandomere slid his arms around Nick’s waist, promising to himself he’d have a  _long_  talk with officer Ward about how he’d live long enough to kill him if Nick ever came to harm because he couldn’t watch his back.


End file.
